Washing-machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN P. BAIIGH, OF MIDLAND, TEXAS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,266, dated October 28, 1890.

Application tiled November 26, 1889. Serial No. 331,727. (Model.)

' To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN P. BAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Midland, in the county of Midland-and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 1Washing-lllachines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a washing-machine which will rapidly wash clothes of coarse or fine texture without injury thereto.` This object I accomplish by my improved washing-machine, which con sists, essentially, of a cylindrical body, a flexible and adjustable wash-board in the lower half thereof, and a corrugated drum rotating in the body above the wash-board, as well as of the adjunctive and specific details of construction incident thereto, which assist in carrying out the object in view, and certain auxiliaries which tend to enhance the value of the completed machine, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of my improved washingmachine closed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of ,the same when open. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 2 on the line 3 8. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wash-board detached. Fig. 5 is an end view of the supplemental roller as used in connection with the machine, the latter being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of the discharge-opening in the body and the button for closing it. Y

Referring by letter to the said drawings, B designates the body of my improved washingmachine, which is preferable approximately cylindrical in shape with a horizontal shelf b at one side, and this body is provided horizontally on about the line of the shelf with hinges, as at b', so that it can be opened, as

v shown in Fig. 2. The body is supported by legs L and the upper half by a supplemental and removable leg l when in open position.

.I onrnaled in disks d on the ends of the lower half of the body is a shaft carrying a drum D, having a corrugated outer surface or pcriphery, and one end of the shaft is cranked, as shown, whereby the said drum may be rotated within the body. At one edge of the lower half a wringer W is removably connected therewith, the crank of this wringer extending beyond the end of the body, as shown. 'Ihe wringer proper forms no part of the present invention; but by locating it near the hinges b', connecting the two portions of the body, the clothes after having been washed the outer faces by flexible metallic bands n near their ends, and also by a similar central band N, which extends beyond one end of the wash-board, and :is provided with a hook t' in its free end, as shown. The other end strip of the wash-board is cut away on its inner edge at its ends, leaving trunnions o, which are journaled in C-shaped sockets secured to or formed upon the inner face of the ends of the body, as shown at S. A friction-roller Ris mounted on .the shelf b, and over this roller the band N passes, its hook engaging an eye I in a lever L, which is pivoted at its lower end to a semicircular plate M, having teeth m of ratchet shape on its outer edge. A spring-operated pawl P is carried by said lever and engages said teeth m, when the lever is turned outwardly, and the upper end of the pawl is hooked, as at p, whereby it may be retracted to disengage it from the wheel.

The letter U designates a supplemental roller, which is journaled in a frame-work F, having handle I-I and hooks h at the outer ends of its side arms. These hooks are adapted to be engaged with eyes f, secured upon the ends of the body, all as shown in Fig. 5.

The operation of my improved washingmachine is as follows: The body is opened, the wash-board put in place, and hot water and soap put with the clothes into the body upon the upper face of the wash-board. The latter is then adjusted by the leverL so that it shall stand relatively as close to or as far from the drum D as desired, whereby a greater or less degree of pressure and force of the rubbing portion can be applied to the clothes according as they are of coarse or fine texture and in large or small bulk. The top is then preferably closed to retain the steam and heat, and the drum D rotated or oscillatedby its handle. The top is then opened and may be filled with blue-water, and the clothes are IOO passed through the wringer WV and into such water, from which they may be again wrung out and hung out to dry.

It often occurs that it is desirable to wash vbed-quilts, counterpanes, and other large and bulky articles which will hardly pass beneath the drum even if the wash-board were dropped to its lowest point, and to provide for this I have constructed the supplemental roller U shown in Fig. 5. The hooks h are passed through the eyes f, and the frame F is then turned so that the roller will be brought down upon about the center of the drum. The bulky article being washed is then wet and soaped, after which it is passed between the roller and the drum, and the latter is rotated to move it along from one en d to the other. Meanwhile the handle H is pressed upon to impart the desired pressure to the article, and the free end of the latter on the feeding side of the roller of the drum can be held, if desired, so that the ribs on the drum will rub it beneath the roller. After having been washed the article is passed through the wringer W, blued, wrung out again, and hung out to dry.

At a suitable point in the bottom of the body is formed a hole which is surrounded on the outside of the body by a ring or washer G, and a button T, having its face provided or coated with leather, rubber, or other soft material, is pivoted at t, so as to swing across the outer face of the washer G and close the hole. Stops g are provided at either side of the button to limit its movement.

At one end of the body a shelf E is connected by a hinge e'on its upper side to one of the legs or frame-work L of the body, so that when the shelf is turned down its edge will strike against the legs and frame-work and retain the shelf in a horizontal position. This shelf may be useful for supporting a clothes-basket, soap-dish, bluing-bottles, and for other purposes.

On the outer face of the upper half of the body is provided a socket Q, within which the upper end of thc supplemental leg Z may be removably fitted, if desired. The upper half of the body is preferably a segment of a slightlysmaller circle than the lower half, whereby the outer edge of the former lits closely by the inner, edge of the shelf b when the parts are clnsed, as shown in Fig. l.

The drum D may be made hollow and it-s periphery composed of a number of strips, each having several corrugations or ribs formed in and upon its outer face.

Although I have not so illustrated and claimed it, the body B may be provided with one or more partitions parallel with its ends and the drum B, and even the wash-board O, if desired, may be made in sections, each section fitting one apartment, but the shaft ofthe drum extending through all the partitions; but I prefer usually to construct my washingmachine as above described, as this dividing up of its length would make it too large and unwieldy to be run by hand, and would necessitate the use of steam-power, and perhaps require the attention of several operators. This construction of the machine, however, might be of use in steam-laundries or other places doing a large business.

It will be understood that these auxiliaries described above are not essential to the successful operation of this device; but I prefer to employ them if possible in order to render the machine finished in every detail and a perfect piece of mechanism when it is sold to the user.

What I claim isl. In a washing-machine, the combination, with a' drum journaled in bearings in the body of the machine, of a liexible washboard pivotally connected at one end to said body at one side of the drum, a band leading from the other end of said washboard, a toothed plate secured to the body, a lever pivoted to said plate and having a spring-operated catch or pawl engaging said teeth, and connections between said lever and the free end of the band, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the semi-cylindrical receptacle having a shelf along one edge and a drum journaled in bearings in the ends thereof, of a iiexible wash-board pivotally connected within and to one side of the body and passing beneath the drum, a flexible band connected to the free edge of the wash-board, a pulley mounted on said shelf and over which the band passes, a semicircular plate upon the ou ter face of the body opposite said pulley, provided with teeth on its edge, a 1ever pivoted to said plate and connected to the free end of said band, and a spring-pawl carried by the lever and engaging said teeth, substantially as described.

3. The semicircular plate M, secured to the body B and having downwardly facing ratchet-teeth fm in its edge, in combination with the lever Il, pivoted to said plate, the pawl P, sliding alongside said lever and its upper end p bent outwardly, a spring for throwing said pawl into engagement with said teeth, an eye I near the outer end of the lever, a flexible wash-board, a flexible band leading therefrom, and a hook t in the free end of said band adapted to engage said eye in the lever, all as and for the purpose described.

R. P. BAUGH.

Wvitnesses:

A. L. CAMP, D. E. DECKER.

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